When In Doubt, Dogs Work It Out…To Their Advantage.

Dog’s don’t live in a vacuum. They are constantly learning about their environment and about us. They are watching and deciphering what they think we are trying to communicate to them, even though we may be unaware that we even ARE communicating to them! When unclear about what we are saying to them (and let’s face it, we usually use WAY more words than we need) they “listen” to our body language and tone of voice. Cues, cues and more cues! Your body language (cues) may be incongruous with your verbal commands (or even unintentional) causing your dog to be confused as to what behavior you prefer. When this happens, they shape their world to their best advantage. In other words, they will resort to whatever suits them. When in doubt, dogs work it out… to their advantage. [Read more…]

In dog training as in many things you have to have the right attitude and the right tools (whether they be actual tools or techniques) in order to get the job done. Ask 10 dog trainers how to teach a dog any one specific command or behavior and your likely to get 10 different answers. [Read more…]

Is my dog playing or being aggressive?

Knowing how to tell if your dog or puppy is being aggressive or playful when playing with another dog can be tricky for an average dog owner. What looks sometimes scary, -open mouths, mouthing each other, vocalizations from growling to barking, hackles up, jumping on each other, one dog pinning another down and wrestling can actually be just play styles. Dogs often exhibit behaviors similar to those used in aggressive encounters when playing. is my dog playing or being aggressive?

Dog Training Follow Through, the importance of Consistency.

When consulting with a prospective training client, I am often asked “How much training will my dog need?”. My answer, “That depends on many variables. Your dog of course, but mostly on your consistency and follow through in applying the techniques you will be learning.”. [Read more…]

Living In Fear, Helping Your Fearful Dog Gain Confidence

Living a life filled with fear or anxiety is no fun for humans or dogs. In fact, it is a terrible way to live. Feelings of anxiety, nervousness and fear flood the body with toxic chemicals and can shorten a lifespan. Helping your fearful dog gain confidence can be as simple as introducing exercise into their routine, implementing basic obedience skills, coping skills and using something pleasurable (food or toys) to change the way your dog feels about the fearful object or environment.

4 Simple Tips to Sharpen Your Dog’s Basic Commands

It’s easy to have your dog become really good at performing the basic commands of sit, down, stay & come when called. Working these basic commands into their daily routine ensures that when you actually need them to perform one of these skills, your dog will be very good at it. This can be a lifesaver!

Think about it… if I taught you a new skill but you only had to use it once in a while, you would most likely not be very good at it. However, if you used that new skill every day then you would be quite excellent at it and could perform it whenever you needed to. It’s the same for dogs! [Read more…]

Bad Dog or Bored Dog?

Is your dog bad or just bored?

If you ask me, there are no bad dogs, really. They are either bored and/or maybe just haven’t been taught desirable positive behaviors. Dogs don’t want to misbehave. Quite the contrary, they want to make you happy. However, even when they have been taught/trained basic manners, if they are not getting what they need in terms of daily mental stimulation and physical exercise they may vent that energy in undesirable not to mention, negative ways.

Getting your dog to behave in public can be frustrating especially if you have a high energy dog or if he/she is a young dog or puppy.

Many places we may want to take our dogs are so much more exciting from the dog’s perspective. Take Petsmart for example. Petsmart is pretty exciting from a dog’s point of view (the smell of food, treats, other dogs, happy, friendly people that say hello in a high pitched excited voice while offering treats etc). Get the picture?

To help your dog learn how to remain calm and attentive in these types of [Read more…]

Dog Parks, Good or Bad?

Walk your dog prior to the dog park.

To dog park or not to dog park that is the question. A hotly debated question that I am frequently asked “ Is it ok to take my dog to dog parks?”. My answer “yes and no” depending on your dog. A dog park is for socializing (learning how to interact with other dogs) not exercising. Will your dog get exercise while at the dog park? Of course they will but never take a fully energized dog into a dog park or you could be setting your dog up for failure. Over excited dog = bad doggie manners = possible dog fight.

Take your dog for a nice walk before taking them into the dog park. They will be calmer, better behaved and make better social decisions. [Read more…]